Author Interview: Hannah Carter

So you know how I’ve been interviewing Christian authors? Well, one such author is Hannah Carter. Even though her books aren’t strictly Christian, they are definitely fun fantasy reads!

1. What inspired your books, Seashells and Amir and the Moon?

So, my inspiration for Amir and the Moon was actually a contest. Each year, an author I loved held a competition where she would publish the top five fairy tale retellings in an anthology. One year, she took a break, and I wanted to get a jump start on the next year’s competition so I would have longer to brainstorm and edit. The only problem was I had no idea what fairy tale she would pick. I went out on a limb and guessed The Little Mermaid…which it was not. Still, at the end of the day, I had this story about Amir and Moon that I loved, even if I couldn’t enter it into the contest, so I decided to self-publish it.

Seashells was different—I was going through a terrible bout of writer’s block. Every full length novel I tried to start crashed and burned. Frustrated beyond belief, I decided to give myself freedom to not write a novel. Just tell a story, even if it was a novella. First came the characters: Sariah, George, and Nanny Eleanor. After that, the plot just kind of fell in place as I grew to love them so, so much.

Then, the pandemic occurred and I just wanted to do something to cheer people up. I got the idea to release a chapter a day of Seashells. That gave me even more of a reason to buckle down and finish—and soon, I did! I had the little novella, which I polished, edited, and published on Amazon.

Your stories sound great!

2. What is your current work-in-progress?

I’m currently working on a superhero novel! In the far distant future, scientists have made two major breakthroughs: they can genetically enhance people (even babies in the womb) and give them powers, as well as insert memory chips into brains so no one forgets. There’s not supposed to be any way to override this, so no one can delete a memory.

Only one day, a girl named Kaia figures out that she has no recollection of the last four months—or how she got a huge scar all across her abdomen and legs. She quickly learns about the Ripper virus, a “computer virus” which allows a mysterious figure to control any electronics from afar…including manipulating the minds and memories of people with memory chips. This shadowy supervillain made heroes become murderers under his or her control, stole data from corporations to use as blackmail, and caused chaos as technology suddenly betrayed society. All the while, the true mastermind could never be traced.

Kaia is desperate to find out the truth about the Ripper virus and everything she did in the last four months…but dark forces conspire against her, and some secrets come at a hefty price.

Ooooh this sounds so intense!

3. Who is your favorite character from your books?

Oh, this is such a hard question!! I love all my children. Published works—Sariah and George, because they’re essentially the same person anyway. 😉 I love their friendship and how devoted they both are. George is so small and Sariah is so determined to protect him. I love how they fully accept one another even though they come from different worlds. They trust each other instinctively and always put each other first. I love how fierce Sariah is as she struggles to find her identity, and I love how George just craves to have a childhood and love.

Unpublished works—I hope to introduce you all to my character Starr some day, because he definitely tops the chart as one of my all-time favorite babies. He’s SUCH a dork. He’s a Nintendo aficionado, a complete cinnamon roll, and he shops at Hot Topic, because he likes to think he’s edgy and dark (he’s not). I’ve got his story all written, but it needs to be edited before it can see the light of day. But someday it will—because he’s one of my earliest characters ever, and I want to do his story justice.

Your characters sound so unique!

4. What is your favorite genre? What books would you recommend from it?

Fantasy! Though I read a lot of different genres as well. My first fantasy was the DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul, so those will always be some top favorites. I also love Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Beaumont and Beasley by Kyle Robert Shultz, and the Andari Chronicles by Kenley Davidson.

5. What is one piece of writing advice you give for new writers?

Write, write, write! I know that’s so cliche, but really—you will get better with each novel. Keep on reading and writing and learning different techniques. You will need to devote a lot of time to writing if you want to be good, but it’s worth it.

6. What are some lessons you learned as an author?

How to take criticism. Not everyone will love your work, and that’s a tough pill to swallow. You will be rejected, maybe by readers, maybe by agents, maybe by publishing houses. But persevere through it all, because lots of people WILL love your work.

And don’t take every criticism personally. Learn to separate yourself and take feedback well so that you can keep growing. If your editor (whether it be a professional or a relative) corrects a mistake, they do it because they only want to help you grow, not because you’re a crappy author who has no potential at all.

7. What is a fun fact about you?

Hmmm…

A real fun fact: I’ve been to Hong Kong and Mexico on mission trips. In HK, I sang with a band in over 100 shows, including street performances!

A semi-real fun fact: I almost got arrested at a concert trying to sneak backstage. I absolutely adore Owl City and my friend and I were trying to get a glimpse of him through a wooden fence at an outdoor concert. She joked that I could probably scale the fence, and very loudly, I replied: “I don’t care if I get arrested—I will!”

Only we didn’t see the police officer standing right behind us. They hardcore stared daggers at us, and we ran out of there really quickly. 😂 (That story is completely true, but I may exaggerate the consequences to make it seem more perilous than it actually was.)

Your stories are awesome, thank you for sharing!

These Are Her Books:

Amir and the Moon

Amir isn’t a good jinni. He’s not even a good BAD jinni, which is what he truly aspires to be. After all, he’s a descendent of the Blue Jinni, the most wicked and powerful jinni of all. That’s quite a legacy to live up to, especially when he’s trapped in a bottle at the bottom of the sea.

After angering his last master with a wish gone awry, Amir finds himself tossed to the ocean. With a pile of books to read, he decides to start an early retirement—until he’s found by a new master, a little mermaid named Moon who wishes to have legs.

Amir is convinced the best thing for Moon—and his sanity—is for her to return to the sea and leave him to his retirement. To do that, he’ll have to break up Moon and the prince she’s been in love with for years. But Amir is convinced that the task will be easy: after all, he’s an evil jinni. How hard can it be to get a mermaid back where she belongs?

Buy this Book: https://www.amazon.com/Amir-Moon-Hannah-Carter-ebook/dp/B073V81K4K/

Seashells

Sariah isn’t sure what to expect where her persnickety grandmother, Nanny Eleanor, demands that her granddaughter accompany her on a seaside vacation. Still, Sariah is excited for the seashells, sun, and surf: the perfect backdrop for her pirate-filled fantasies.

But when Sariah finds a new friend, a merman named George, she’s determined to protect him from the sinister forces that stalk him. Together, they’ll have a swashbuckling adventure on the high seas to save their friendship…and their lives.

And Sariah thought dealing with Nanny Eleanor would be the most dangerous part of her summer.

Buy this Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H581J46/